Mayor Sammy Phillips and several other City of Jacksonville officials attended a grand opening this weekend, but there wasn’t a ribbon to cut for the city’s newest addition.

Instead, Phillips and council members Jerry Bittner and Jerome Willingham removed tree branches from the threshold of the city’s first off-road bike trails at Jacksonville Commons Recreation Center, which officially opened Sunday during the ceremony.

Willingham is the city council’s liaison to the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. He said the new trails are symbols for the city’s commitment to keeping citizens active.

“We have a skateboard park. We have a very nice athletic program for baseball and basketball, and softball,” Willingham said. “This is just adding another piece to the puzzle to try to be comprehensive and touch everybody’s needs.”

The 2.5-mile course, which is on the corner of Commons Drive North and Gateway South, has two paths: a 0.7-mile fitness loop for cyclists and joggers and a 1.8 mile intermediate course that is 18-24 inches wide and features obstacles, such as logs.

The trails are free and open to the public, but officials recommend that visitors not ride at night. And though there is no official rule, officials advise riders to wear helmets at the course.

The course was built with cooperation by the city and volunteers. According to Shawn Kane, the manager of Bicycle Gallery in downtown Jacksonville and one of the people responsible for the trail’s creation, work on the fitness course began in summer 2013. The creation of the other course started in November.

Cyclists have been using the course since it was carved out, but the trails are not finished, Kane said.

“A lot of hard work has gone into it,” Kane said. “We’re excited to have the start of a great trail system, it’s still a work in progress. It’s continually growing and evolving. The city likes what we’ve got so far so we’ll be extending the network a little farther.”

One of the volunteers who helped make the course happen is Jim Hicks of Jacksonville. Hicks helped to clear the course of plants and branches, making it bike-accessible.

Hicks advises new riders on the course to take it slow and easy.

“It is a one-way course and it’s marked with good arrows of which way to go,” Hicks said. “Then, after that, after you learn the trail, you can go faster each time.”

Hicks says he’s happy the course is open, giving locals without base access an opportunity to try their hand at mountain biking. Before opening, the only mountain-bike trail was aboard Camp Lejeune.

“This is a place for them to learn how to mountain bike and this is a good beginner’s trail,” Hicks said. “Families can come out and teach younger kids how to get into the sport of mountain biking.”

Page 2 of 2 - Jacksonville Recreation and Parks Superintendent Michael Liquori said time and money spent making the course was minimal. Park employees cleared the path for the fitness course in about three days.

Liquori said the trail will add diversity to the city’s recreation and parks department.

“This is another avenue to help diversify our department and help give our community something we haven’t had in the past,” Liquori said. “Hopefully, they’ll use it as a tool to exercise.”

During the ceremony, local Eagle Scout Tanner Lilly, a rising senior at Jacksonville High School, was recognized for designing and overseeing construction of the two wooden thresholds that mark the trail’s entrances. According to Lilly, the archways were built using $300 in lumber. The archways were built in about three hours with assistance from scouts in Lilly’s troop, Troop 370.

“Just great workers out there,” Lilly said. “Just great young boys trying to help out and get everything done. I hope (the course) becomes a great place for families to go to and they have a great time.”

The ceremony ended with the beginning of a poker run for registered cyclists. Awards were given to those with the three best — and worst — hands.

For more information, call Jacksonville Recreation and Parks at 910-938-5312.